Interview: “The high prevalence of periodontal disease is alarming”

Dental Tribune Online: This week, the EuroPerio conference will be held in the UK for the first time. How was collaborating with the British periodontal societies, and what is your assessment of the preparations in general?
Prof. Søren Jepsen: Collaborating with EuroPerio Chairman Prof. Francis Hughes, who lives and works in London, was absolutely fantastic. We all enjoyed his great ideas, enthusiasm and humour and thank him for the tremendous amount of work.

The British Society of Periodontology with its president, Prof. Iain Chapple, and chair of the EuroPerio Ambassador Programme Prof. Nikos Donos in particular, significantly contributed to the event. Both the current and past presidents of the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy, Julie Rosse and Michaela O’Neill, were also highly involved in the local organising committee and thanks to them we will see many dental hygienists coming to EuroPerio8.

I would also really like to thank the many students from the various dental schools in London who agreed to volunteer at the event.

With over 100 internationally prominent experts, EuroPerio8 will again present an extensive and highly diverse scientific programme. What session can visitors particularly look forward to and what are your personal highlights?
The scientific programme is really top notch and diverse. There is something for everyone. Scientific Chairman Prof. Mariano Sanz has been very creative and has done a really excellent job.

There will be parallel sessions with different themes and for different target groups, Master Clinician Forums aimed at surgical experts, many sessions dealing with all aspects of implant therapy, sessions on realising modern periodontics in daily practice, as well as a whole lecture series about the current understanding of aetiopathogenesis of periodontitis. All these are presented by the absolute best in their respective fields.

Personally, I am looking forward to the keynote lectures on Saturday, as well as the many short presentations given by our younger generation, who have found an appropriate place within the main scientific programme. I also recommend that visitors not miss our closing event on Saturday. While I am not supposed to reveal more information at this point, attendees can be sure it will be a cracker!

The issue of peri-implantitis is more relevant than ever with an increasing number of implants being placed worldwide. How is this important area reflected in the programme?
Several main sessions are dedicated to this area and there will be a number of internationally renowned experts, including EFP General Secretary Prof. Stefan Renvert and EFP-treasurer Jörg Meyle, who will speak about this issue. Moreover, some of the scientific short presentations will deal with peri-implant disease.

The interaction between periodontal and general health will also play a prominent role, starting with a world première of a film on Thursday morning.

Will there be new offerings compared with the last congress in Vienna?
For the first time, we will have the Patient Engagement Session on Wednesday afternoon. There, Prof. Ian Needleman and his team from London will present a film titled The Sound of Periodontitis: The Patient’s View of Gum Disease, which seeks to show what it means to suffer from periodontitis and to have periodontal treatment done from a patient’s perspective. This will be followed by a podium discussion involving patients and clinical experts.

Despite a high prevalence, periodontal disease still does not attract the attention it deserves, even in developed countries. Where do you see the main obstacles and what can be done to raise awareness among professionals and the general public?
Indeed, we know that more than 50 per cent of the adult population have periodontal disease. Severe periodontitis affects 11 per cent of the population and is the sixth most prevalent condition worldwide. Not many people actually know this, as well as the fact that non-treated periodontal disease can have negative consequences for one’s general health. The high prevalence of periodontal disease is alarming and demands significantly higher awareness and thorough prevention.

We intend to communicate these messages at a large press event to be held in London. Furthermore, events like EuroPerio significantly help to increase awareness of these issues among dental professionals and the general public. The congress has already received high interest from the profession and we expect up to 10,000 visitors from all over the globe. This demonstrates that EuroPerio8 has clearly become the worldwide largest congress in the fields of periodontics and implant dentistry.

The afore-mentioned patient symposium is going to strengthen public awareness. Finally, we plan to launch an information campaign for Europe that targets public and health officials.

In addition to European Periodontal Day, your organisation has recently launched a manifesto with the title Perio and General Health. What do you seek to achieve with this initiative?
The goal of European Periodontal Day is to increase awareness of the prevalence of periodontal disease and its significance for general health, especially among other medical professions and policymakers. The same message is carried by the manifesto and we invite everyone to support this mission by signing it at www.efp.org/efp-manifesto.

Next year, the EFP will be celebrating its 25^th anniversary. How do you see the role of the organisation within dentistry, and what goals are on the agenda for the time being?
We will certainly celebrate this anniversary properly at the general assembly of all national member societies of the EFP next year in Berlin. However, the party starts already here in London, where our colleagues and friends from all over the world are assembled.

At this point, the EFP is already one of the worldwide driving forces in the field of periodontics and implant dentistry. Its influence on dentistry, particularly through its annual consensus conferences (European workshops) and EuroPerio, should not be underestimated. We also have to to acknowledge the EFP’s Journal of Clinical Periodontology with its editor Prof. Maurizio Tonetti.

For the next three years, we are planning to advance our vision of “Periodontal health for a better life”. For this, we will communicate the most important findings from our consensus conferences with regard to the interrelationship between oral and general health, as well as the prevention of periodontal and peri-implant disease, to the public. As mentioned, we are currently in preparations to launch a European-wide campaign.

Thank you very much for the interview.